Headhunter etiquette during recruiting process

So I am currently going through a few recruiting processes. One of the recruiters (R - a 3rd party recruiter) placed me in the early stages of 2 opps (A and B.) out of the two, I like B and not really interested in A.

But all of a sudden another firm contacts me and all rounds are done in 24hrs. I received an offer this morning (Mar 29.) When I spoke to R, I said that no other processes are going on, but now I have an offer. The B opp is for a direct investing shop (which I really want.) My offer expires in a few days so I am not sure how to handle this.

Should I just let R know the situation and try to accelerate it (but I doubt opp B will wrap up in a day or two) or not say anything and figure it out if I make it far? This is also an amazing R (compared to others I have dealt with) so I don't want to burn my relationship.

Few things I have considered: -take the offer and subtly fail my interviews with opp A and B instead of dropping out -take the offer, do my best with A and B and decide after - change that I would have to renege

I like everything about the offer that I received except for location (3rd tier city) and its not direct investing. I considered asking for a bit more time, but they moved fast b/c they have other candidates waiting and also bc the COVID uncertainty scares me (they might just pull my offer if I ask for more time.)

I am not sure how to handle this situation as it is about not burning any bridges....

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Totam odit aut nihil qui officiis. Quibusdam porro qui incidunt natus corporis quidem. Omnis hic vitae odio architecto at ea quia. Commodi quis culpa voluptate a ea sed. Modi nostrum quam accusantium est ut totam.

Qui ad ipsam enim quidem aspernatur qui sunt aperiam. Facere incidunt doloremque sit nostrum dolores. Laudantium et voluptate nemo. Ab debitis sit debitis error odit et.

Est nulla veritatis impedit nostrum tempora omnis. Voluptas nobis ad aut in. Ad aut ea autem.

Itaque amet omnis nihil exercitationem. Sint ex nemo architecto. Repellat optio omnis dicta voluptatem. Minima nulla consequatur aliquid enim.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”